Skip to main content

Hitachi ZX135US-5 and ZX210LC-5 excavators work in Sjodalen valley

Norwegian contractor Skogen has started building a service road for a log-cabin development in Norway’s Sjodalen valley. More than 90 of the 120m2 cabins are being constructed to order and the project is scheduled to be completed within the next 12 months. The Vågå-based company was set up in 1982 by owner Ola Skogen and is firmly focused on general construction activities including groundworks and roads, as well as foundations, drainage and utilities for log cabins. The contractor’s medium excavat
July 7, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
Hitachi logs time in Sjodalen valley
Norwegian contractor Skogen has started building a service road for a log-cabin development in Norway’s Sjodalen valley.

More than 90 of the 120m2 cabins are being constructed to order and the project is scheduled to be completed within the next 12 months.

The Vågå-based company was set up in 1982 by owner Ola Skogen and is firmly focused on general construction activities including groundworks and roads, as well as foundations, drainage and utilities for log cabins.

The contractor’s medium excavator fleet is now 100% 233 Hitachi from which the company deployed a ZX135US-5 and ZX210LC-5 to start work at the scenic location. Sjodalen is a wide, gently sloping valley in southern Norway and in which flows the river Sjoa from the deep mountain lake Gjende.

Skogen’s strategy is to use relatively new machinery. So after each model reaches between  6,000-7,000 working hours it is updated from the authorised Hitachi construction machinery dealer in Norway, Nasta. “This is especially the case for the latest generation of Zaxis excavators,” said Ola Skogen. “which has comparatively low fuel consumption and overall running costs.”

The company’s Zaxis excavators are supplied with HELP - Hitachi Extended Life Programme - extended warranty and service contracts. With a duration of five years/8,000 hours, this level of cover allows the contractor to plan ahead with fixed costs and well maintained equipment.

Rune Morten Ryen has been working as an operator with Skogen for 15 years. “The ZX135US-5 is so versatile,” he explained of his previous machine. “You can use it wherever you want, even in gardens and between buildings. The cab is spacious and well equipped for our needs. It’s easy to turn and manoeuvre, plus the short-tail swing is hugely beneficial in confined spaces.”

He has recently been allocated to the ZX210LC-5. “It is very stable, powerful and offers more capacity. This is the machine’s first job and it’s been useful to test it with different attachments, such as the hammer, which is only required occasionally to break up rock. The monitor is also useful for checking information and the rear-view camera is ideal.

“The two machines are working well together and they have proved to be a strong combination for this job. They can operate in restricted areas and there is enough power when we need it.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Long reach equipment simplifies demolition
    April 13, 2012
    Demolition is a highly specialised business, as the machinery required to carry out the work on high-rise demolition contracts can be very site specific. Today's high reach demolition rig is no longer simply a tracked excavator with a long boom, indeed some machines cannot be used as excavators at all. Likewise a machine that is dedicated to carrying a 2.5 or 3tonne shear or hammer will need to be built to take the stresses and strains of demolition life. Many of the ultra long boom machines are designed
  • SDLG wheeled loaders for Moscow’s new roads and buildings
    March 28, 2014
    Two factories in Russia’s greater Moscow region are using SDLG wheeled loaders to help distribute sand and gravel for use in new roads being built across the region With Russia one of the world’s fastest growing market economies, its need for infrastructure expansion has meant more roads and, as a result, a massive increased need for sand and gravel production. Two sand and gravel factories near Moscow are said to be helping produce the new roads, sidewalks, and also, buildings.
  • Alberta’s peaceful partnership
    May 4, 2020
    A bridge project in northern Canada threw up some unexpected challenges, reports David Arminas, from the banks of the Peace River in Alberta
  • Case CE creates single joystick excavator for injured operator
    May 30, 2013
    Case Construction Equipment dealer Dagenborg Maskin AS, from Tromso in Norway, has modified a Case CX250C crawler excavator to allow the machine to be operated using a single joystick. When operator Thomas Rostad lost much of his right hand in an accident, contractor KIME Maskinentreprenor Kare Isaksen AS, and in particular company owner Morten Willumsen, was very keen for Rostad to return to work, so had the machine rebuilt to meet his individual requirements. KIME was established in 1973 and carries out a